Mourning Blood
by FracturedLights
Summary: The final battle has arrived, and the events of the last year has changed something drastically for two students in particular. If they can escape; they will. A one-shot, AU, featuring Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Picture used is by Mushroomtale-fanart on Tumblr.


The sound of thunder and rain falling couldn't drown out the sounds of screams.

Heaven knows it tried.

But death, death has the way of being louder, louder than anything else.

The rain had soaked her Hogwarts robes, so much so it was if she had been caught in the turbulence of the North Sea, not running across the courtyard of Hogwarts, following sharply the footsteps of one Draco Malfoy. She'd chased him from the fifth floor of their school, past bodies on the floor, past statues exploding, past red and green jets of light that promised death. Through and over ruby rivers and puddles of blood, around explosions that caused the portraits to shriek, and the ghosts to sink through the walls in desperation to leave. Thunder cracked and lightning had streaked, just as Draco fled out of the castle, Hermione hot on his heels. He'd thrown the Death Eater mask of his away, letting it crack as it hit a pillar of the courtyard, falling to the floor; washed clean of blood by the rain.

His Death Eater attire had begun to cling to his lithe form, mud clinging to the bottom hem as he ran down the paths that took them towards the lake. He looked over his shoulder briefly to check, check she was following, she was.

She was.

:: :: ::

It had started in what one could have considered an expected manner.

The arguments had been the same at first. He'd call her a mudblood. She'd call him a ferret. Or a waste of life. Harry and Ron would come to her verbal defence. Then they'd part ways, leave for the rest of their days until they happened to run into one another again.

If she were asked to pin down a day when things had started to change, she'd say a late october day, just before halloween as the school was preparing for the annual feast. He'd most likely say the same. They'd literally walked into one another before the entrance to the Great Hall, smacking their foreheads against one another's. They'd looked at each other in astonishment, putting their hands to their heads in unison, each unable to say something until Malfoy had slipped his smirk on again.

"If you were so eager to see me Granger, we could have arranged something a little less... public you know." He'd drawled, before sweeping away into the Hall, Pansy Parkinson's shrill beckoning of him causing a sigh to slip from his lips. He didn't even care for her alarmed, slightly disgusted expression as Ron caught up to her. His voice in her ear asking if he'd hurt her, what did she want to do to get him back. Wait until Harry finds out about it. They'd protect her. They'd always protect her. Hermione had felt insulted by Ron's words, but was relieved when Harry seemed to realise Hermione didn't want an escalation.

From then on their arguments had escalated; the insults shared had become creative, explosive. _Invigorating_.

:: :: ::

He slipped, tumbling down the path and causing his wand to break. Gold sparks fired from two ends, and Hermione knew what had happened immediately. She caught up to him, dragging him off the ground as best she could, making it look rough. It had to look real.

It had to look real.

His face was beginning to bruise. Mud, blood, sweat and tears intermingling on the porcelain of his skin. Hermione didn't want to know if the blood was his. Merlin, she didn't even want to know if it were hers. He caught her eyes, his own eyes blazing. He grabbed her wrist, careful not to touch her fingers and pulled her further down the path, shoving the broken shards of his wand into his pocket. His expression grim. She followed, careful to lean back as if she didn't want to go with him, as if being with him was the most awful fate she could imagine for herself.

Lightning streaked once more, and the heavy peal of thunder rippled across Hogwarts, the sound of it making it hard to breathe as it rumbled in their chests.

"Not much further now," Draco said gruffly, as the rain suddenly changed direction with the wind, streaking the dirt across their bodies in a new direction.

:: :: ::

"Merlin Granger," He'd snarled, looking her dead in the eyes as the rest of the seventh years had gathered around them, watching with intrigue, "I thought in the muggle world, trolls lived under bridges and learnt riddles to stop the naughty humans from crossing. So tell me, who on earth do I have to complain about to my father to get them fired? Because one thing is certain, they fucked up royally when they contacted you under your miserable bridge and told them Hogwarts was allowing trolls to attend. I'm only telling you this you see, as that is the only explanation for why we didn't come top in class today, if you didn't have the wand work of a bloody troll, and the translation skills of one, we wouldn't have a foot more homework to do."

It was a long rant for him, a long, surprisingly knowledgeable rant after they'd been paired together in the lesson for ancient runes. The class had watched them snipe at each other, sigh with extreme exasperation and roll their eyes for an entire hour, until spectacularly they'd failed to complete the given task. Much to the disappointment of Professor Babbling, who had hoped her two best students, would work well together.

"You're right," Hermione acknowledged, much to the surprise of Malfoy who was still staring at her with a venomous glower. "I have been neglecting my duties since I came here." She walked carefully in front of the staircase, blocking it from people who wanted to leave, and those who were due to go to their next class. She met his eyes once more, as irritated fifth years began to jostle her slightly from behind, trying to get her to move. "So tell me Malfoy. What's in my pocket?" She asked of him, and an astonished silence had fallen, save for the fifth year class who were too annoyed to care what was going on. A few splutters of recognition had fluttered around them, developing into hoots of laughter. Malfoy's eyes had widened for a split instant, a delighted gleam sparkling in them for a brief instant before he'd burst out with frustration.

"That isn't even a riddle!"

"Oh, that's a shame, that's not the answer. I guess I'll have to eat you now. Although... I was really looking forward to dinner later." She sighed, casually flicking her wand at him. He'd fallen over immediately, landing face first, as stiff as a board. Hermione laughed and stepped over him, calling over her shoulder, "See you next lesson Malfoy!"

:: :: ::

In the distance, one of the castle towers was smoking, an inferno against the back drop of the night sky. Jets of light would burst like fireworks, and the screaming, all the screaming.

It was quieter down by the lake, no jets of green fired between the trees. But there were footsteps. There were shadows in the trees. There were people about. They were near.

Draco fell to his knees stumbling to the side as exhaustion hit him.

Tears began to fall down Hermione's face as she raised her wand, aiming it at his back. She sobbed, noisily.

"Come on Hermione," He coaxed, "It has to look real," he said to her quietly, unable to look back.

"Stupefy," She whispered, and a jet of red hit him square between his shoulder blades. He slumped forwards, his platinum blond shock of hair falling into the grime of the lake bed. Hermione threw herself forward, rolling him over, away from the main body of water, and tapping her wand on his chest. He spluttered back to life again, his ice white eyes searching for her own. His hand reached up, grabbing the front of her robes, balling it into his fist.

"Draco, Draco, Draco," she found herself saying stupidly, her hands moving to his face, wiping away blood and mud from his cheeks. His skin rough in her hands, hair matted everything about him so wet.

"Shut up," he mumbled, pulling her down on top of him.

:: :: ::

Rumours had started, shot through the school like wildfire, that perhaps, perhaps something was up, was different between Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy. He'd started to deliberately knock into her in the hallways so that a fight could start. She had started to organise their prefect patrols to be on the same path once in a while. Their verbal spars had become smarter, sharper, and sincere. They'd begun challenging each other on the subjects they both shared, while Hermione had taken to ridiculing him on his lack of muggle world knowledge, and he on her lack of Quidditch knowledge.

Spring had rolled around, the start of March bringing sweet winds with it. The Slytherins and Gryffindors were gathered outside the potions classroom, watching as Draco and Hermione sparred once more. The malice had gone, and now it was challenging to each of them. Neither of them had cared about the rumours, instead, it had only added fuel to their sparring. Malfoy would knock into her suggestively, then ask her if she wanted 'a quick shag', she'd usually respond that she couldn't, they'd been kicked out of the library last time, did he not remember? He'd smirk at her, and listen as the whispers would explode around them both. Now however, they were on about the minutiae of potions making, snapping about the way crocodile hearts were used.

"Oh yes, of course, shred the heart, how silly of me. Of course I'd want to poison everyone in a fifty foot radius, how could I not!" Hermione was saying sarcastically, throwing her hands up in faux gratefulness, relief plastered on her expression save for the coldness of her eyes.

"You'd only poison everyone in a fifty foot radius if you added it when the potion was blue, not green!" Draco snapped back, looking at her as if she were thick.

"It shouldn't even be blue! Not at any point! How do you even get it to be blue! As for green, that only happens if you chopped the gillyweed wrong, and you didn't dice it!" Hermione said to him as equally patronising as he'd been towards her.

"Well, you tell me then smartass, when do you add the crocodile heart?" Draco replied, crossing his arms across his head.

"Is it even necessary?" Ron asked out of nowhere, causing the pair of them to turn to him in surprise. Ron had taken the same path as Harry, watching Hermione fight her own battles, the moment it had become clear the nature of them had changed. Neither boy had been able to pin down why they'd changed, but Harry had at least noticed that she wasn't in... danger.

"Well..." Draco began in his low, dangerous drawl, his lip curling in amusement, "You would of course think the only use for crocodile hearts was throwing them wouldn't you Weasel." Draco said, his eyes sparkling at Hermione as he finished his words. Hermione looked at him in shock, realising he was including her in his take down of Ron. The surprise of it made her laugh suddenly, loud and joyful. A triumphant expression flickered over Draco's features for a split instant, as Ron looked livid. His ears going a familiar shade of red.

Ron hadn't spoken to her for a month.

:: :: ::

He'd pulled her directly on top of him, his other arm snaking around her waist, keeping her close.

His lips were soft, soft despite the rest of him. They worked against Hermione's, fast and passionate. Desperate. Her hands held his face, keeping him close, and her legs pushing her directly on top of his warm, wet body. They broke apart, and Hermione sat up, straddling his hips as twigs snapped in the trees nearby.

Fear throttled her.

Draco's hand ran up her leg, moving over her hip, up her stomach, over the swell of her breast until settling at the hollow of her throat; his eyes apologetic.

It had to look real.

He pushed her back off him gently, but she took care to make him look as though he'd shoved her, she fell onto her side, splashing the mud more than was necessary. Draco pulled himself up, looming over Hermione in a threatening pose. He knelt, keeping on hand on her throat, his arm straight in a fake display of pressure. She placed her hand on his arm, attempting to look like she was struggling. His hand reaching into her pocket; taking her wand for a brief moment. He fired several stunning spells into the trees in quick succession, careful to angle the wand so it looked as if there were two wands, not one.

A body fell between the trees, a metallic clink revealing the identity.

They both clambered to their feet, Draco taking her hand this time, wrapping his fingers about hers.

"Let's go," he said, fear seeping into his voice, his eyes set on hers.

:: :: ::

The tall shelves of the library towered over them, the lamp light warm and flickering about their skin. He'd taken hold of her wrist as she'd tried to pass him in the aisle, and spun her around to look her dead in her eyes.

"Is it just me Granger, or are we beginning to enjoy fighting with one another?" He asked her, his eyes searching her face for something Hermione was unable to place.

"Is that it?" She found herself asking him, "are you sure that's just it?"

It was apparently what he'd been looking for. He let go of her wrist, instead taking hold of her hand and smiling brightly at her.

"I need your help," he admitted, releasing her hand much to Hermione's grief.

"You? Need my help?" She asked him disbelieving, he smiled, nodding and gestured to a scroll he was holding.

"History of Magic."

"Can't you ask…?" Hermione started, noting that it was a pointless question, his amused chuckle made her cheeks flush.

"Well, I could ask Crabbe, but I'm not entirely too sure he knows he's in a school. Goyle; well. When he learns to read it'll be a happy day, and Pansy believes that the Goblin rebellion of eighteen ninety two is a complete lie and never happened." He told her pointedly, as Hermione slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "So yes, Granger, I need your help." He said, no hint of malice, no threat or insult on the tip of his tongue.

"I can help," She smiled warmly at him, meeting his silver eyes with unrestrained pleasure.

:: :: ::

They ran together, hand in hand towards Hagrid's hut, making their way to the back of it, before a wild, delighted cackle stopped Draco in his tracks.

"Does Draco want to keep the mudblood to himself?" Came the call, loud over the rain. "Didn't his Mummy not teach him how to share? I'll have to speak to 'Cissy about that." She laughed, her unrestrained excitement managing to echo around the trees that surrounded them, and ring louder than the peals of thunder.

Draco released her hand immediately, pushing her backwards gently, trying to get her to run. To flee.

"No," Hermione whispered, "I said I'd fight with you until the end."

"Oh Merlin." Draco whimpered to her, looking back at her, love plain on his sharp, bruised features.

:: :: ::

"Astronomy next?" She asked him, moving stacks of books and rolls of parchment to the side of their table, and letting the ink dry on their potions essays.

"Yeah, good idea" he agreed, dipping his quill back into an ink pot he'd just opened and making a move to help Hermione sort out the mess of knowledge they'd created at their space in the library. They'd taken care to hide themselves well; it was an old corner of the library, darker, less travelled. The restricted section was a few feet from them, but the entrance to it was a good walk away. They'd both charmed the area with repelling spells, intent on keeping their brand new friendship as quiet as possible.

Only rumour, rumour is a hard mistress to tame. It hadn't gone unnoticed that both Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy would disappear to the library at the same time, and leave within minutes of one another.

If either of them cared, they were yet to show it.

:: :: ::

He'd grabbed her hand once more, the decision plain in his eyes.

"Fuck it." He announced, turning and pulling her with him, setting off at full pelt in the direction they'd just come from. She fled with him, inwardly cursing at their stupidity. They knew it was going to be like this, they'd always known. They'd spoken about it. They knew there was a chance for this to happen.

Her cackle was loud in its glee.

Jets of green, the green that promised death flew past them as she swore viciously with each failed attempt to hit them. Hermione took her wand out, firing a quick succession of various hexes and jinxes in her general direction. The trees cracked and exploded with the impact of her spells, the force of them increased with her desperation to get away, her anger at the situation they'd put themselves into.

"Draco! Share with Auntie Bella!" Bellatrix shrieked, apparently completely unperturbed by the destruction around her. Her footsteps were fast as she ran after them.

They'd always known it would end up like this.

:: :: ::

Life, however, had other plans.

"I need to talk to you." Draco had greeted Hermione one evening after dinner, placing his books down and rolling up the sleeve of his left arm, his eyes wide and afraid.

"I see." Hermione replied, her eyes glued to the skull and snake emblazoned upon his ice white flesh.

"I don't want this." He whispered, covering his arm up quickly, his hands reaching for Hermione before he even knew what he was doing.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked him, her voice barely louder than a whisper, her own hands reaching out to touch the Slytherin man she'd so detested for such a long time. Her eyes filling with uncontrolled tears.

"You." He replied, just loud enough for her to hear. His hands had gone straight to her face, pulling her close to him. He didn't ask for permission, but he didn't need any.

He kissed her, entwining his hands in her hair, her own arms wrapping themselves around him.

In the quiet of the library, they kissed until the lamps began to flicker, and Madam Pince started to usher everyone out.

:: :: ::

They skidded to a halt. Hagrid's hut had burst into flame, Bellatrix's delighted cackle telling them who was to blame.

"Draco," Hermione panted, "The greenhouses, we'll take a back door, hide in the Gryffindor common room. It's a risk, but it'll be worth it." She encouraged, gripping his hand so tightly that her own fingers were numbing with the force of it. He nodded, and they both began to run again, Hermione unleashing destruction behind her with her wand, she didn't look behind her, she didn't need to.

Bellatrix was calling for back up.

She was being answered.

:: :: ::

To say that the student body of Hogwarts had started to treat the changing relationship with anything but interest would be an understatement. Since their tryst in the library, where they'd kissed the evening away and both had snuck off back to their respective common rooms their lips swollen, robes rumpled; something had snapped in the atmosphere between them.

"Hermione!" Ron hissed, furious, "are you just going to let him-"

"Yes Ronald. I am going to 'let him!'" She hissed back, her eyes livid. Harry was throwing the pair of them worried glances, as Draco watched the trio with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Malfoy had simply reached out and pulled a curl of Hermione's, letting it wrap around his finger before letting it loose. They were in the middle of a charms lesson, all theory unfortunately, and as he was sitting behind the three of them, directly behind Hermione, he'd chosen to entertain himself with her hair.

"But!" Ron started whispering again as Hermione struggled not to roll her eyes.

"He is just trying to antagonise you and it's-"

"Working." Draco whispered, joining in as he reached out to pick another loose curl from Hermione's pony tail. Ron instantly flushed a puce colour as Harry scowled furiously at Draco, whilst Hermione's mouth pulled itself into a small smile, and she leant backwards in her chair.

The speculation that maybe they were… more than friends had fired up that day.

:: :: ::

The greenhouses came into view, the windows smashed and the insides cloudy with released toxins and pollens despite the still pounding rain. They veered away from them immediately, knowing that if they neared them the chances of them dying was too high to risk.

The greenhouses exploded, and they swore in unison, Draco pulling her into his body and shielding her from the rain that now included broken glass.

"No," Hermione whispered, clutching at him despite herself, "we have to keep moving."

"Ok, ok," Draco said more to himself than her releasing her as their hands and faces received hundreds of tiny cuts. They turned to the path that took them into the castle, and steeled themselves, making to dash for it once more.

"Draco Malfoy." A voice that wasn't Bellatrix's thundered but filled with such rage Hermione swallowed, trembling from the cold and shock.

"Oh fuck, is this some kind of family reunion?" Draco sighed sarcastically, letting go of Hermione's hand once more, but the fear was plain on his expression. "I think this is it. Hermione. I love you." He admitted as the cold livid stature of Lucius Malfoy turned the corner, Bellatrix dancing on her toes behind him, her face alight with cold blooded excitement.

"I love you too," Hermione whispered, focusing on the bloody and bruised face of the man she'd pledged her future too.

"Oh my! How adorable!" Bellatrix gasped, her lip curling in repulsion, "They think they love each other!" She laughed as Lucius pulled out his wand, aiming it between the shoulder blades of his only son.

"Bellatrix, I think you'll believe me when I say I've never been more disappointed." Lucius sighed, before Draco fell to the floor, twitching in agony.

Hermione's scream pierced the night.

:: :: ::

"I've a question for you." Draco said cheerily, opening his bag and emptying it of more books than it looked like it could hold.

"Oh?"

"After all this is done," He started, slipping into the chair opposite her as usual and looking at her intently. "I don't know if I'm going to live, or if I'm even going to make it out of Azkaban with this," he tapped his left forearm, "will you stay with me? Move into a house with me, be my girlfriend, maybe have my kids one day. I need something to look forward to Hermione, Merlin; I need something to give me some kind of hope." He said as Hermione covered her mouth in shock.

"Only if-"

"If what?" He asked immediately, a worried tone in his voice.

"Only if you're serious, I'll be with you, fight with you if I have to too keep you alive, I'll move in with you, be your girlfriend and maybe have your kids with you, but only if you're serious." She said, half giggling from delight, half dead serious.

Draco plunged his hand into his bag, searching for something with a fevered desperation. Eventually he found it, and tossed it at Hermione. A ring box.

"Wear this." He told her, watching as she opened the perfectly black box with surprise. "I'm dead serious."

"What…" She began, breathlessly, taking the delicate ring out and admiring it.

"It's not an engagement ring, I'll get you whatever ring you want for that, that's just a promise ring or whatever you want to call it. Any finger. Just wear it." He told her unravelling parchment and opening books while trying not to grin with delight.

:: :: ::

Blood was blooming at his lips.

Hermione had been quickly cursed and then bound magically, her wand confiscated. She dug her fingers into the wet stone of the castle wall, cursing any deity she could think of for the situation she was in. Lucius and Bellatrix had decided between themselves that it would be far more poignant if she watched as Lucius 'told' his son just how disappointed in him he was.

His furious ranting had been going on for quite some time, if time had been moving.

He'd kicked his son at the same time as he'd cast unforgivable after unforgivable, stamping on him in an uncontrolled rage that had made Bellatrix double over in laughter, ecstatic tears streaming down her gaunt cheeks as Draco moaned and rolled over, Hermione's screams the constant background track to his insane ranting.

Hermione struggled against the ropes that bound her to the stone of the wall; it was in cases like these that she hated how clever magic could be. She was stuck to the wall, by ropes. It didn't make sense. In a logical world she'd be able to escape them and save Draco.

Save a man a few months ago she hated.

Fuck logic.

She loved him.

"Stop it," She shrieked so loudly she could feel the back of her throat rip with the effort of it. Yet it still caught their attention.

"I think I'll decide when I'll stop mudblood," Lucius drawled in a tone not so unlike his son, "don't worry, we are getting to you."

"No!" She gasped as Lucius turned back to stamp on his child's head, Draco's breathing laboured, "how can you do this to your son?" She asked him, looking Draco dead in the eyes, willing anyone, anyone on her side to come and witness this.

"No son of mine would say what he did to someone like you." Lucius informed her coldly, his foot rising above Draco's white blond head.

They knew it would be like this.

:: :: ::

"You've got a week," he hissed to her, pulling her close to him and pressing his lips to her forehead. They'd met by chance in the corridors of Hogwarts, thankfully both were alone and Draco had leapt at the chance to embrace her, burying his face in her hair.

"A week!" Hermione exclaimed into his shoulder, her own hands wrapping around his middle.

"Let's find each other, and hide. Make it look like we're fighting if we must. Just make sure we stay safe, we have to get through this." He whispered as the sound of footsteps neared them, coming round the corner.

"Yeah we do, we need to go house shopping." Hermione said as if he were stupid. He laughed lowly, kissing her briefly before releasing her and fleeing down the corridor.

The portraits began to twitter amongst themselves.

:: :: ::

"You know," Bellatrix announced, staring at her nephew thoughtfully, "I don't think he's breathing anymore."

Lucius looked up at her, raising a thin pale brow, his lips twisting with fury at the sheer idea of such a thing. Such defiance. Hermione bit back a whimper. Her heartbeat thudding so hard the force of it would have broken the normal muggle ropes that bound her. The elder Malfoy dropped to his knees, two fingers out stretched as he touched them to his sons' neck for a brief, everlasting moment.

"You think you're going to raise your child right you do, when you have them Bella, you always try so hard with them when they're born. Your sister and I thought we'd achieved that with Draco, if we were mudbloods ourselves we'd be royalty; Draco a prince. Then, what do they do. You give them everything, _everything_ , and they throw it all away." Lucius spoke quietly, as he pushed himself up off the floor again, adjusting his robes as if he hadn't just been attempting to murder his own blood. Hermione blinked watching Lucius so intently that she hadn't even noticed the tears flooding down her cheeks, adding to the rain and blood dirtying her cheeks, carving out valleys from the filth.

"I never thought I'd need a new son to continue the Malfoy name, but; it appears we do." He sighed, replacing his mask and gesturing towards a gleeful Bellatrix.

"To war," Bellatrix laughed, stepping over Draco as if he weren't there.

:: :: :: 

Their usual spot in the library was lit by the low flickering glimmer of a candle, placed between the two of their serious, anxious faces.

"So the plan is, we'll 'run' into each other, and I'll chase you out the castle to the spot by the lake. It's down the side, by the benches, and we should be able to apparate out to my grandmothers."

"Is it safe?" Draco asked her, pulling out a metal mask from his bag furtively, his eyes flicking around nervously.

"It will be, is this your mask?"

"Yes, memorise it. That'll be me."

"Ok. That'll be you." She whispered her voice trembling.

"Merlin Hermione, I won't hurt you, I'll never hurt you." He whispered back, reaching for her hands, "but, there's…"

"I know there's a chance it won't work. We'll need to make it look like we're fighting the whole way; and the Death Eaters will be everywhere, and I'm a prize target, and you're…"

The paid of them trailed off, gripping at each other's hands tightly, Draco twisting the ring he'd given her nervously.

:: :: ::

"Draco?" Hermione whimpered, unable to force her voice out of her throat to be any louder. "Oh Merlin please…"

It was always going to be like this.

They always knew.

Two red bolts fired from above, whilst two more came from the side. They hit Lucius and Bellatrix respectively, as one hit Draco and he fell into a relaxed slumber as Lucius toppled backwards, landing on top of Bellatrix.

Hermione was free from her enchantments. She stumbled forwards, taken back by how much she was leaning forwards in her attempt to release herself.

In moments she'd picked up his head and cradled it in her lap, wiping away the blood from his mouth, removing mud from his skin, her tears splashing onto his cheeks.

They always knew it would be like this.

"Merlin, don't die, don't die." Hermione whispered, half sobbing half cursing herself for her helplessness.

Once more footsteps pounded in their direction, but she was exhausted, and she'd be damned if she was going to leave him whilst he was like this.

"Miss Granger!" Exclaimed McGonagall; her wand outstretched and ready.

"Professor!" Hermione cried, clutching at Draco protectively, "save him!" She pleaded, as Harry skidded to a halt behind their transfiguration professor.

:: :: ::

The rumours had turned into the exchanging of facts.

That Hermione had been found cradling the unconscious body of Draco Malfoy, hysterical with tears was fact.

That it was obvious they were in some sort of a relationship was fact.

That McGonagall had personally seen that Draco be one of the first treated by the triage healers from St. Mungo's was fact.

That Hermione and Draco were engaged was a rumour, but one they were willing to entertain.

"Hey, Hermione," Draco whispered as they strode hand in hand towards the great hall, the bruising still visible about his hairline, "thanks for sticking with me," he grinned as the students of Hogwarts continued to stare at the pair of them in shock.

"No problem." She smiled, smoothing his hair away from his forehead.

It didn't have to be that way.


End file.
